Species within the genus Burkholderia exhibit remarkable phenotypic diversity. Genomic plasticity, including genome reduction and horizontal gene transfer, has been correlated with virulence traits in several species. However, the conservation of virulence genes in species otherwise considered to have limited potential for infection suggests that phenotypic diversity may not be explained solely on the basis of genetic diversity. Instead, differential organization and control of gene regulatory networks may underlie many phenotypic differences. In this review, we evaluate how regulation of gene expression by members of the multiple antibiotic resistance regulator (MarR) family of transcription factors may contribute to shaping the physiological diversity of Burkholderia species, with a focus on the clinically relevant human pathogens. All Burkholderia species encode a relatively large number of MarR proteins, a feature common to bacteria that must respond to environmental changes such as those associated with host invasion. However, evolution of gene regulatory networks has likely resulted in orthologous transcription factors controlling disparate sets of genes. Adaptation to, and survival in, diverse habitats, including a human or plant host, is key to the success of Burkholderia species as (opportunistic) pathogens, and recent reports suggest that control of virulence-associated genes by MarR proteins features prominently among the survival strategies employed by these species. We suggest that identification of MarR regulons will contribute significantly to clarification of virulence determinants and phenotypic diversity.

中文翻译：

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伯克霍尔德氏菌物种的MarR家族转录因子：隐藏的线索以控制与毒力相关的基因。

伯克霍尔德氏菌属中的物种表现出显着的表型多样性。基因组可塑性，包括基因组减少和水平基因转移，已经与几种物种的毒力特性相关。然而，在其他方面被认为具有有限的感染潜力的物种中，毒力基因的保守性表明，表型多样性可能不能仅根据遗传多样性来解释。相反，基因调控网络的不同组织和控制可能是许多表型差异的基础。在这篇综述中，我们重点研究与临床相关的人类病原体，多重抗生素抗性调节剂（MarR）转录因子家族成员对基因表达的调节如何有助于塑造Burkholderia物种的生理多样性。所有伯克霍尔德氏菌物种都编码相对大量的MarR蛋白，这是细菌必须应对环境变化（例如与宿主入侵相关的环境变化）所共有的特征。然而，基因调控网络的进化可能导致了控制不同基因集的直系同源转录因子。适应人类和植物宿主等多种栖息地并在其中生存，是伯克霍尔德氏菌作为（机会性）病原体成功的关键，而最近的报道表明，MarR蛋白对毒力相关基因的控制在生存中占有重要地位。这些物种采用的策略。我们建议，鉴定MarR调节子将大大有助于确定毒力决定因素和表型多样性。